Maire Leadbeater grew up in a politically active family, where campaigning for peace and many other causes came with the territory. A former Auckland city and regional councillor, she spent her working life as a social worker, but is now retired and finding more time for writing and for activism. For the past 25 years Maire has campaigned for freedom for East Timor and West Papua. In 2017 she was awarded the Order of Timor-Leste by the Timorese Government. Her previous books are Negligent Neighbour: New Zealand’s collusion with the invasion and occupation of Timor Leste (2006) and Peace, Power and Politics: How New Zealand became nuclear free, published by Otago University Press in 2013. Maire has two adult children and five grandchildren.